Kate* is a 37 year old mum with a 6 month old baby girl, she is currently on maternity leave and works as a Nurse in a Tertiary Care Hospital in the Intensive Care Unit.
She came into our Aberfoyle Park practice to see a Physiotherapist due to complaints of urinary incontinence as well as pain, heaviness and discomfort in her pelvic floor region. Before her pregnancy Kate* occasionally experienced incontinence and found that this increased whilst she was in the third trimester of her pregnancy. She was suffering from a loss of bladder control & sexual pain as well as chronic lower back pain. After the delivery of her baby she was given exercises to strengthen her pelvic floor muscles. She practiced them regularly but was not sure if she was doing them correctly.
After an examination it was found that there were issues in her pelvic floor region with poor strength squeeze and lift as well as very poor endurance and coordination. During her initial Physiotherapy sessions Kate* received feedback and training, she was asked to stop pelvic floor exercises for 2-3 weeks and work on stretching exercises and massage. As a result, she saw an improvement in her symptoms, further treatment continued to improve her power and endurance.
Kate* now feels less pain and discomfort, especially after she has been doing household chores and looking after her baby. Her lower back pain has improved and future Physiotherapy sessions are planned to keep working on these areas as well as Pilates training.
Press here to find out more about pregnancy & post natal Physiotherapy.
*The name has been changed to protect the privacy of our client.